Skip to Content
Design Reserve · By Invitation Only

Your design department, without the overhead

Guaranteed capacity. Fixed costs. No recruitment headaches.

We accept a limited number of members each year, because guaranteed capacity only works if we protect it. Apply below and we will tell you straight if there is room.

Check if you qualify View reserve tiers
35+
Years industry experience
500+
Projects completed
100%
NZ code compliance
22+
Landmark projects
The Problem

The hidden cost of design bottlenecks

Every week a design sits in a queue, it costs you somewhere else in the business.

Lost tenders

Slow design turnarounds mean missed submission deadlines and work that goes to competitors.

Crews sitting idle

Installation teams wait on drawings while the clock keeps running on wages and programme.

Unpredictable costs

Design fees vary project to project, which makes margins hard to price and harder to protect.

No designers when you need them

Good fire protection designers are scarce, and never available at short notice for urgent work.

The Solution

Fire protection design on tap

The capability of an in-house design team, at a fraction of the cost of employing one.

Hire in-house

  • $150k+ salary before overheads
  • 3 to 6 month recruitment search
  • Software and hardware on top: $15k a year plus a $7-10k workstation
  • Training, leave cover and sick days are your problem
  • One person, one point of failure

SDNZ Design Reserve

  • Fixed annual cost from $70k, you choose the tier
  • Starts the week you sign, no recruitment
  • All design software included
  • Guaranteed turnarounds, in writing
  • A whole senior team, not one hire
Capacity Check

Which tier fits your workload?

Two numbers and we will point you at the right tier. No spreadsheets required.

Your current approach Recommended Design Reserve

For comparison, hiring an in-house designer typically costs $150k+ in salary before software.

Get your custom proposal
Reserve Tiers

Choose your Design Reserve tier

Pay annually, quarterly or monthly. Every tier includes every piece of design software we use, and turnaround guarantees apply to deliverables we agree with you before each project starts.

Pay once a year and save, or monthly for flexibility.

Essentials

$17,500/quarter
$70,000 a year
Up to 6 standard projects a year included
  • 10 business day turnaround on each agreed deliverable
  • All design software included ($15k value)
  • Quarterly business reviews
  • Direct phone line to the design team
  • All project variations included
  • Project 7 onwards becomes a Flex Project at member pricing
Most Popular

Professional

$21,250/quarter
$85,000 a year
Up to 10 projects a year included
  • 7 business day turnaround on each agreed deliverable
  • Priority queue positioning
  • Direct WhatsApp to a senior designer
  • Monthly progress reports
  • Compliance training included
  • All project variations included
  • Project 11 onwards becomes a Flex Project at member pricing

Premium

$37,500/quarter
$150,000 a year
Up to 15 projects a year included
  • Work starts within 48 hours of your go-ahead
  • Dedicated senior designer assigned to your account
  • Dedicated project coordinator
  • Quarterly executive business reviews with the managing director
  • Weekly status reports
  • 4 annual site visits included
  • Jump to the front of the queue anytime
  • Direct WhatsApp and phone to your senior designer
  • Annual team training session included
  • All project variations included
  • First call on any spare capacity
  • Project 16 onwards becomes a Flex Project at member pricing

Enterprise

$75,000/quarter
$300,000 a year
Unlimited projects included
  • Emergency work starts within 24 hours, after hours included
  • Dedicated design team
  • Direct line to the managing director
  • You are the number one priority, always
  • Daily check-ins whenever you need them
  • Up to weekly on-site presence, unlimited site visits
  • Annual compliance training for your team
  • First access to new technology and methods
  • Customer portal
  • Custom reporting and dashboards
  • Dedicated WhatsApp or Teams channel

Site visits cover our time on site. Flights, accommodation and vehicle costs are charged at cost when required. Full terms are provided with your proposal.

Never Turned Away

What happens when an extra project lands

Every tier includes a set number of projects a year. Anything beyond that is called a Flex Project. Say you are on Professional, which includes up to 10 projects, and project number 11 arrives. Here is exactly what happens.

1

We quote it before we start

A fixed price at member rates, agreed before any work starts. No surprises.

2

It jumps the queue

Flex Projects are scheduled like member work: ahead of everything non-reserve.

3

It discounts your upgrade

Move up a tier and half your Flex fees come off your first quarter at the new rate.

An example, with the numbers. You are on Essentials, paying $17,500 a quarter. During the year, projects 7 and 8 arrive: two Flex Projects, $14,000 at member rates. Your workload is clearly growing, so you move up to Professional at the next quarter. Half your Flex fees, $7,000, come off your first Professional quarter: instead of $21,250, you pay $14,250. Every quarter after that is $21,250, with up to 10 projects a year included.
Why It Works

Built to remove your design risk

Everything an employee gives you, none of what one costs you.

Guaranteed turnarounds or money back

Deliverable dates are agreed before each project starts. If we miss one, that deliverable is free. It is written into the agreement.

All software included, $15k value

Hydraulic calculation, CAD and BIM tooling are covered by us. No licences on your books.

No sick days or leave gaps

Your capacity does not take annual leave. A team backs every project, not a single person.

Senior expertise without the salary

Decades of trade floor and BIM experience on your projects, without a $150k+ hire.

Scale up as you grow

Upgrade at any quarter boundary, pro-rated, with your Flex discount applied. Your tier is set for each 12 month term so both sides can plan capacity.

Cancel with 60 days notice

No lock-in beyond the notice period. We keep your business by performing, not by contract.

Compare Your Options

Three ways to get design done

The honest comparison we walk every prospective client through.

In-house designer Project-by-project SDNZ Design Reserve
Annual cost $150k+ salary $80-120k, variable From $70k, fixed
Availability Sick and leave gaps When available Guaranteed turnarounds
Software and hardware $15k software plus a $7-10k workstation Covered by your designer All included
Recruitment 3 to 6 month search Every project Instant start
Scalability Hire and fire risk Unpredictable Upgrade anytime
Founding Members

Be a founding member

The Design Reserve is new, and we would rather earn real testimonials than invent them. So here is the deal.

Join in 2026, share an honest testimonial at your first quarterly review, and we will take 20% off your next quarterly invoice. On Professional, that is $4,250 back.
Claim founding member pricing

Founding places are limited. Discount applied once your testimonial is received. Testimonials are anonymised: role and sector, never your brand name.

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

The details that matter before you commit.

Anything beyond your tier's included projects becomes a Flex Project. We quote it at a fixed member price before we start, and it is scheduled ahead of all non-reserve work. If you then move up a tier, half of what you have paid in Flex fees that year comes off your first quarter at the new rate, up to the value of that quarter. You are never turned away, and you are never surprised by an invoice.

Because the guarantees are real. We reserve capacity for every member, and we can only guarantee turnarounds if we never oversell that capacity. When we are full, we are full, and new members join a waitlist. That is what you are buying: capacity that actually exists.

You can upgrade at any quarter boundary with the difference pro-rated and your Flex Project credit applied. Your tier is committed for each 12 month term. That commitment is what lets us reserve capacity and front-load work for you, and it is why we can guarantee turnarounds.

Everything an on-staff designer would cover:
  • Sprinkler design
  • Fire alarm design
  • Hydrant design
  • Extinguisher design
  • BIM modelling and coordination
  • Project documentation
  • Aon applications
  • Project variations
All design software is included at no charge. The only exclusions are Aon's design review fees on Aon applications, and flow testing and its associated fees. Other than that, it works exactly like having a designer on staff.

A standard project is one where the design fee, if we quoted it at normal project rates, would be up to $15,000. Most projects fit comfortably inside that. Larger projects are still welcome: they simply count as more than one standard project, based on their size. We agree this with you at kickoff, at the same time as the deliverable schedule, so there are never surprises. A combined fair use total across your membership year, set out in our terms, keeps capacity fair for every member. On Enterprise, capacity works differently: you get the fair and reasonable output of a dedicated design team.

Before each project starts, we agree a deliverable schedule with you. On a large project that might be per level, per zone, or per drawing package; on a smaller one it might be the whole job. Your tier's turnaround applies to each deliverable on that schedule, from the point we have the information we need. If we miss an agreed deliverable date, that deliverable is free. It is written into the Design Reserve agreement. Large projects can run for months; the guarantee means every agreed stage lands when we said it would.

Before renewal we review the year together: what was delivered, how the tier fitted your workload, and what your pipeline looks like. Then we agree the right tier for the next term. Pricing is locked for each 12 month term, and stepping away takes 60 days notice.

Capacity is reserved for you quarter by quarter, so it does not formally roll over. In practice we are flexible across adjacent quarters, and the quarterly reviews exist to keep your tier matched to your real workload.
Check If You Qualify

Get your custom proposal

Tell us about your workload. If there is a fit and we have room, we will send your custom proposal. No obligation.

Get your custom proposal

We'll only use your details to prepare and follow up your proposal.

Ready When You Are

Ready to lock in your design capacity?

Talk it through with the team, or send us your details and we'll come back with a custom proposal.

Schedule a call Get your custom proposal